A leader should wake up each day as if it were January 1, and be ready and eager to rewrite his agenda.

- Jack Welch

In his book, The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey talks about how to go from effectiveness to greatness in a world that has become so competitive that effectiveness is no longer enough to succeed. According to Covey, one of the greatest challenges in today's world is to "find our voice and inspire others to find theirs."

Covey suggests we begin by seeking feedback and asking questions such as: How is it going? What are you learning? What are your goals? How can I help you? How am I doing as a helper?

As business leaders, we often have a vision, a plan, a solution to a problem and an enthusiasm to get started and then reality sets in. Because good leaders encourage feedback in order to promote a healthy work environment, the result can be that Team members may come up with a better idea, a better strategy and a better solution.

The Good Leader is able to accept this input objectively and see the change of direction as an opportunity to inspire and energize the Team. This will also reinforce that feedback, given and taken, is part of the company or organization culture.

In order for a company or organization to be a "learning organization," a concept developed by Peter Senge, there must be the development of a 'Shared Vision' that will motivate the members to focus on improvement and express their individual ideas, thus "finding their voice." Through feeback they will feel empowered and a sense of ownershipe.

In order to ensure that "giving and receiving" feedback is a win-win situation, please try the following suggestions:

When Giving Feedback

Speak directly to the person

Show a calm and non-judgmental attitude

Listen intently and do not overreact

Focus on one thing at a time

Give specific examples

Focus on behaviors that are changeable

Reiterate what you have heard during the interchange

When Receiving Feedback:

Listen calmly without interrupting

Keep a non-judgmental attitude

Believe that everyone is telling the truth as they perceive it

Ask for specific examples

Clarify what you hear

Do not dismiss positive feedback

Thank the person for the feedback

Feedback is the breakfast of champions.

- Ken Blanchard

Until next month, remember that kindness and respect are always the "order of the day."

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, and spam will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides